Tray supporting member



May 311, 1955 g, STARKEY 2,709,563

TRAY SUPPORTING MEMBER Filed March 5, 1955 LVVENTDR.

TRAY SUPPORTING MEMBER Gilbert Starkey, East Templeton, Mass. Application March 5, 1953, Serial No. 340,603 2 Claims. (Cl. 248226) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a tray or shelf which may be supported by a table or the like and is directed more particularly to the provision of novel means for removably mounting a tray or shelf or the like upon a table or similar object where it may be conveniently used by children.

As is well known, small children have difficulty in finding comfortable positions when seated at tables. Tables designed for grownups are generally too high for children when seated upon the chairs normally found in homes. The result is that the small child has difliculty in reaching his food or in writing or in doing whatever it is that may involve the use of the table surface.

By means of this invention, a tray or shelf supporting structure is provided which may be removably mounted upon the table or other similar pieces of furniture and which offers to the child a tray or shelf at such a height as to enable the child to eat therefrom or to work thereat.

All of the above objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangements of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

Referring to the drawing, T designates generally the top of a table or other suitable support on which the device of the invention hereafter to be described is removably mounted. Side rails S of the conventional design are disposed beneath the top T in the usual manner so as to provide overhanging portions at the outermost edges of the top on all sides of the table as is well known. L designates the leg which helps to support the table top in the conventional manner.

A tray or shelf supporting member, designated generally as is formed of a pair of spaced parallel bar members 12 and 12 which are connected at their outer ends by a transverse bar member 14.

Vertical supporting bars such as 16 extend upwardly from the inner ends of the bar members 12 and 12 and the upper ends thereof are joined to bar members 17 and 18 which are disposed in a relation parallel to the transverse bar member 14 substantially as shown in Fig. 1 whereby is provided the tray supporting means. It will device of my Inited States Patent 0 2,709,563 Patented May 31, 1955 be understood that so much of the device as has been just described may be unitary in that it may be formed of one piece of material such as metal or the like as has been shown in the drawings.

A plate member 30 abuts the inner and adjacent terminals of the members 17 and 18 and may be secured thereto as by screws 32 or the like whereby the members 17 and 18 are held integral therewith.

Rearwardly of the plate 30 and of the members 17 and 18, a vertical supporting member 34 having an upper arm 36 bent rearwardly at right angles as shown is provided. A cushion or pad 38 to prevent the scratching of the table top may be provided on the undersurface of the upper arm 36 if desired.

A rigid flat metal tongue member 40 is receivable in a slot 42 which is provided between the plate 30 in the front, the vertical supporting member 34 in the rear, and the inner ends of the members 17 and 18 on the opposite sides. The tongue member is slidable vertically in this slot.

The lower end portion of the member 40 is bent rearwardly at right angles as shown to provide a lower arm 44 and a movable or adjustable jaw 46 is carried by a screw 48 which is threaded through an opening in the lower arm 44. A head 49 may be provided on the lower end of the screw 48 if desired to facilitate manual engagement.

The jaw 46 is engageable against the lower side of the top T for removably clamping the arm 36 onto the table top.

Additionally, the upper extremity of the member 40 is bifurcated so as to provide ears 52 and 5.2 and disposed therebetween and held in pivotal relation therewith by means of a pin 54 is an operating lever 56 which has a cam surface 57 at its forward extremity which bears against the member 36 so as to achieve a tightening action. In operation, the jaw 46 is adjusted by means of the screw 48 so as to obtain a clamping action by means of the arms 36 and 44 with the table top therebetween. The operating lever 56 at this time is held in a vertical position relative to the member 40. After the setting of the clamp, the operating lever 56 is pivoted downwardly relative to member 40 and the cam surface 57 being of the appropriate design bears downwardly upon arm 36 in such manner as to induce the member 40 to be urged upwardly in an ever tightening manner.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A supporting construction for an infants tray adapted for securement to the edge portion of a table top comprising, a supporting angle having a horizontal portion for resting on the upper side of a table top and an outer portion at the outer end thereof depending vertically therefrom, a tray support having vertically extending upper ends disposed in transversely spaced relation on the outer portion of the angle, a plate overlying said upper ends and means securing said plate and upper ends of the tray support and said outer portion of the angle together providing a vertically extending guideway therebetween, a tongue member slidable vertically in said guideway and having a lower horizontally disposed arm for underlying a table top, an adjusting screw threadedly engaging said lower arm for vertical adjustment to engage the lower side of a table top, and a lever pivotally connected in the upper end of said tongue member above said guideway swingable between clamping and nonclamping positions, said lever having a cam portion related to said pivotal connection arranged in swinging of the lever to clamping position thereof to engage the horizontal portion of the supporting angle and elevate said tongue member to engage said adjusting screw with the underside of said table top.

2. A supporting construction for an infants tray set forth in claim 1 wherein said tray support includes aligned portions extending outwardly in opposite directions hori zontally from the said upper ends thereof then vertically downwardly and continuing horizontally forwardly in spaced relation away from said supporting angle to opposite ends of a horizontal forward portion disposed in parallelism with and forwardly of said aligned portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,108,692 Burd Aug. 25, 1914 1,906,369 Christie May 2, 1933 2,316,073 Kellogg Apr. 6, 1943 2,526,322 Blaek Oct. 17, 1950 

